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Origin and history

The Château du Vieux-Bost, located in Besson in Allier (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is an emblematic example of Bourbonnais' seigneurial residence, whose origins date back to at least the 15th century. Its architecture, marked by square and round towers as well as a courtyard of honour closed by commons and a chapel, has retained its original character without major alteration. The fief, originally linked to the Knights of Murat, passed in the seventeenth century to the Marquis de Tilly, then by successive alliances to the Delaunay, Roussel de Tilly, Biotière, and finally Bourbon-Busset families.

Acquired in 1578 by the bourgeois millenois Nicolas Chaumas, the estate changed hands through marriages and inheritances, culminating in Bourbon-Parme's house in the 18th century. Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset, wife of Xavier de Bourbon-Parme, passed the castle on to their descendants, including Françoise, wife of Édouard de Lobkowicz. Today, their son Charles-Henri of Lobkowicz is the owner. The site, protected by inscriptions and rankings to historical monuments (1928, 1983), also includes an 18th century octagonal pavilion and a wrought iron gate with military motifs.

The castle is distinguished by its rectangular plan flanked by towers, its 17th century chapel, and its commons organized around a court of honor. The façade on courtyard, mainly dating from the 16th century with subsequent changes, bears witness to the architectural evolution of the place. Nearby, the castle of the New Bost (late 19th century), owned by the same family, is distinct from it. Access to Old Bost is via a tree-lined driveway from the departmental road D65, connecting Besson to Cressanges.

Among the remarkable elements, the wrought iron gate of the chapel, decorated with cannons, trumpets and flags, seems to date back to the 18th century. A pond decorated with a roofed pavilion topped by a rare statue for the entire region. The estate thus illustrates the aristocratic heritage and social transformations of Bourbonnais, from its medieval origins to its anchoring in European history via the Bourbon-Parme and the Lobkowicz.

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